Philippines logs 7,443 new COVID-19 cases, total rises to 1,216,582

The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported on Saturday 7,443 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,216,582.

The death toll rose to 20,722 after 156 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.

The Philippines, which has more than 110 million population, has tested over 12 million people since the outbreak in January 2020.

On Saturday, the DOH confirmed the detection of more coronavirus variants in COVID-19 samples taken from local residents and a number of returning overseas Filipinos.

The DOH said it detected the B.1.617 variant first found in India from a returning overseas Filipino from the United Arab Emirates, bringing the total number of such cases in the country to 13. The patient has recovered, it added.

As of Saturday, the Philippines has sequenced 7,547 COVID-19-positive samples. "Of these, 2,494 have variants being closely monitored with only 26 cases remaining active," the DOH said. (ANI/Xinhua)

( With inputs from ANI )